i'm redoing my house, a spec house 25 yeards old.current mantel is painged light cream, the color of the the house paint. Now the contractor has painted interior of house martha stewart putnam ivy, andplanning to dress up the mantel a bit...wanted to put in green marble around the hearth and up the sides. But new mantel color is white....and somehow the green marble looks wrong/cheap against the white...any ideas of how i might have the green marble, erhaps with another color? i'm looking at restore for an old mantle, may not be the exact size....don't want to spend a fortune on a new mantel, but open to improving from the present plan...thanks VERY much!!!!!!!

Get a paint color wheel and spin it at random. Whatever colors are in style today, they will be out of style in a few years anyway :p You can either go for what you like and phooey on what the rest of the world thinks or you can go for what the rest of the world thinks and phooey on you. Choose the first if you're going to live there; choose the second if you're going to sell or lease it out before redecorating. If you've got a friend whose color tastes are better than yours, ask their advice and save paying for an interior designer you don't need. And remember- anything you don't like after awhile can be painted over later at little cost :)